Means for mounting fixtures and appliances onto plaster or tile walls



July 12, 1966 -rz MEANS FOR MOUNTING FIXTURES AND APPLIANCES ONTO PLASTER on TILE WALLS Filed Sept. 27, 1962 INVENTOR, JACOB M. KATZ,

ATTORNEY.

United States Patent 3,260,021 MEANS FOR MOUNTING FIXTURES AND AP- PLIANCES ONTO PLASTER 0R TILE WALLS Jacob M. Katz, '357 E. 57th St., New York, N.Y. Filed Sept. 27, 1962, Ser. No. 226,685 4 Claims. (Cl. 52-27) The present invention relates to means for mounting fixtures and appliances onto the surfaces of tile or plaster walls, and more particularly to anchor templates to be incorporated into the wall during construction of the building, or during an alteration in which walls are constructed or reconstructed, and to various appurtenances for association with such anchor templates.

' Heretofore, when surface-mounted fixtures and appliances had to be mounted onto tile or plaster walls, the tile or plaster had to be cut into for conventional fastenings as fiberplugs, lead anchors, expansion shields and the like, and entailed the necessity of locating, aligning and drilling holes therefore, making installation costs rather high and the procedure was not easy.

It is therefore the principal object of this invention to provide novel and improved anchor templates and appurtenances therefor, for the mounting of fixtures and appliances onto the surfaces of tile and plaster walls in prescribed positions thereon, which requires no drilling or tapping, but merely the use of a screw driver to accomplish the installation of the surface-mounted fixture or appliance.

A further object is to provide such novel and improved fastening means for surface-mounted fixtures onto tile or plaster walls, without the use or the necessity to install fiberplugs, lead anchors or expansion shields, toggle bolts or the like, or the use of wood screws. Instead only machine screws are used for the ultimate installation, and all the advantages of through-bolt installation, as to strength and permanence is attained.

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel and improved mounting system having the mentioned attributes, which is reasonable in cost, easy to install and efiicient in carrying out the purposes for which it is designed.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as this disclosure proceeds.

For one practice of this invention, say for the mounting of a towel rack, there is a template anchor member which is an elongated piece of stiff sheet metal formed with a narrow rectangular channel along its mid-section whose lengthwise, laterally extending flanges are perforated. The towel rack comprises end brackets on shell bases; said brackets being spanned by a towel bar and each has a socket communicative with its shell base. I also have two tenon plates, each consisting of a plate with a central pin or post extending from one face thereof between two holes in such plate, which are equi-distant from said post. These posts are to be positioned within said sockets in the brackets and of course their plates will be within the hollows of the brackets bases respectively. There are two pairs of nuts in proper spaced relation, extending from the exterior surface of the floor wall of said channel. These may be T-nuts whose heads are within the channel and whose internally threaded shanks are through holes in the channel floor wall; said heads being welded to said wall.

Before plaster, or plaster and tile, as the case may be, is applied to a masonry wall, the mentioned template anchor member, is secured onto the masonry wall with a suitable adhesive so that the nuts extend forwardly at the intended bracket positions. The length of each nut is such that when the wall is completed, they are flush therewith at their exposed months. A tenon plate is secured onto the completed wall, post extending forward,

by using machine screws through the holes of such plate, and screwed in tightly into a pair of said nuts. A second tenon plate is likewise mounted to the second pair of nuts. The towel rack is then set with its bases against the completed wall so that said posts enter the sockets of the brackets respectively. A set-screw, up from the now bottom face of each bracket, engages a post in a cavity in the periphery of the latter and thus the towel rack is releasably fixed and its entire mounting means is hidden from view.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of all the components to effect an assembly, shown in perspective. These include the anchor member presenting the nuts, the tenon plates, the screws therefore, and the towel rack. These are to serve as an example to explain one practice of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view shown partly in section, illustrating the composition of the completed wall, fitted with structure taught by this invention. Here the towel rack is ready to be received for mounting.

FIG. '3 is an enlarged section taken at line 3-3 in FIG. 2, completed with the towel rack.

In the drawing, the numeral 15 designates generally a towel rack or it may be any other fixture or appliance which is to be mounted on a plaster wall 16. So before the application of the plaster layer to the masonry wall 17, I first mount in proper position onto the surface of the masonry wall, a template anchor member denoted generally by the numeral 18, by use of an adhesive 19 which enters into the perforations 20 of said member to hold it securely and then the plaster is applied. The nuts 21, 21' and 22, 22', are properly spaced to accommodate the assembly to be made and extend forwardly from the member 18 the proper length that they are flush with the finished plaster and their months are exposed to receive the screws 23 to mount the tenon plates 24 and 25, whereupon the latters posts 24', 25 are properly aligned to be received respectively in a bore as 26 in each of the towel racks brackets 28, 29; the tenon plates being housed respectively in the hollows as 30' of the brackets support bases 30, 31. To maintain such assembly, I provide up from the now bottom surface of each bracket, a threaded hole as 32 for the reception of a set-screw 33.

The template anchor member 18 is preferably of flat stiff sheet metal formed with a stiffening channel 34 in its mid-section along its entire length; all but said channel being perforated. Each of the tenon plates 24, 25 comprise a base 35 having a fixed central post as 24' equidistant from two holes 36 through such base element; such holes being countersunk to fit the conical head machine screws 23. The post has a notch or cavity 37 for'the lead end of the set-screw 33. The floor wall 34' of the channel 34 has holes drilled therethrough to receive T-nuts 21, 21', 22, 22', in proper spaced relation so that when the tenon plates are mounted, their posts 24, 25' shall be spaced the distance between the sockets 26 in the brackets 28, 29. The head 38 of each T-nut is within the channel 34 and the internally threaded part as 21 extends through a hole in said floor wall 34; said heads being welded to the member 18. The arrangement of the T-nuts will of course depend upon the dimensions and structure of the fixture to be mounted. The template as 18 therefor, will of course be made to suit the particular fixture. The particular scheme of structure shown, affords an installation showing no screw heads. It is evident to those versed in the art that where screw heads may be exposed, the template member as 18 to suit the particular fixture, having an appropriate number of nuts as 21 suitably spaced, could be used without the tenon plates as 24.

Where the finished wall has a tile facing, the nuts as 21, extend flush with the outer wall surface, and some tile portions willneed be broken away before being mounted onto the plaster surface, so as to accommodate such nuts. But being that all fixtures have a base of appreciable area, they would cover the marred tile regions anyway.

This invention is capable of numerous forms and various applications without departing from the essential features herein disclosed. It is therefore intended and desired that the embodiment herein shall be deemed merely illustrative and not restrictive and that the patent shall cover all patentable novelty herein set forth; reference being had to the following claims rather than to the specific description herein to indicate the scope of thisinvention.

Iclaim:

1. In combination with an item having a base positioned against the surface of a wall structure comprising a masonry wall faced with a flat finishing layer of wall material, a template member positioned against the masonry wall and formed with a channel therealong whose longitudinal opening is against the masonry wall; the template being perforated aside the channel; said template member being mounted with an adhesive onto the masonry wall and imbedded within said finishing layer; said channel having a floor wall, two nuts fixed to said template member in predetermined spaced relation; each of said nuts being a T-nut comprising a headed interiorly threaded shank; the heads of said nuts being within the channel and their shanks extending respectively through holes in said floor wall; said nuts extending from said template member, to and flush with the surface of the wall structure, a tenon plate positioned on the surface of said wall structure, having a forwardly extending post intermediate two holes in said plate; said holes being in said spaced relation, screws passed through said holes and threadedly engaging said nuts whereby said tenon plate is securely held against the surface of the wall structure; the base of said item having a cavity opening at the wall structure; the tenon plate being within said cavity, a bracket extending from said base of said item, forwardly of the wall structure; said bracket having a socket communicative with said cavity; said post being within said socket, and means on the bracket, releasably engaging said post.

2. A mounting means as defined in claim 1, wherein each of the holes in said tenon plate is equi-distant from said post.

3. A mounting means as defined in claim 2, wherein each of the holes in said tenon plate is adapted to receive one of said screws in slidable fit therein.

4. In combination with an item having two comparatively distantly spaced bases positioned against the surface of a wall structure comprising a masonry wall faced with a finishing layer of wall material; each base having a cavity opening at the wall structure, two brackets, one extending forwardly from each of said bases; each bracket having a socket communicative with the cavity of its base, an elongated template member positioned against the masonry wall and extending behind both said bases; said template member being formed with a channel therealong whose longitudinal opening is against the masonry wall; said template member being perforated aside the channel; said template member being mounted with an adhesive onto the masonry wall and imbedded in said finishing layer; said channel having a floor wall, two pairs of nuts fixed to said template member; each of said nuts being a T-nut comprising a headed interiorly threaded shank; the heads of said nuts being within the channel and their shanks extending respectively through holes in said channel floor wall; said nuts extending from said template member, to and flush with the surface of the wall structure, two tenon plates positioned on the surface of the wall structure and within said cavities respectively; each tenon plate having a forwardly extending post equi-distant between two holes in the plate; the nuts of each pair being equally spaced a predetermined distance; the holes in each plate being spaced said distance, screws passed through said holes and threadedly engaging said nuts respectively, whereby said tenon plates are securely held against the surface of the wall structure; said posts being slidably fitted in said sockets respectively, and means on each bracket, releasably engaging the post therein.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,764,445 9/ 1926 Cerf 292337 1,764,445 9/ 1926 Cerf 2923 37 1,871,318 8/ 1932 Greenwood. 1,887,641 11/1932 Hoegger 5227 1,893,729 1/1933 Call 248225 1,962,739 6/1934 Hoegger 248- 225 2,885,974 5/1959 Goodwin 52464 2,975,557 3/ 1961 Mouille.

FOREIGN PATENTS 553,276 5/1943 Great Britain. 902,259 8/1962 Great Britain.

FRANK L. ABBOTT, Primary Examiner.

HENRY C. SUTHERLAND, RICHARD W. COOKE,

111., Examiners.

J. L, RIDGILL, Assistant Examiners. 

1. IN COMBINATION WITH AN ITEM HAVING A BASE POSITIONED AGAINST THE SURFACE OF A WALL STRUCTURE COMPRISING A MASONRY WALL FACED WITH A FLAT FINISHING LAYER OF WALL MATERIAL, A TEMPLATE MEMBER POSITIONED AGAINST THE MASONRY WALL AND FORMED WITH A CHANNEL THEREALONG WHOSE LONGITUDINAL OPENING IS AGAINST THE MASONRY WALL; THE TEMPLATE BEING PERFORATED ASIDE THE CHANNEL; SAID TEMPLATE MEMBER BEING MOUNTED WITH AN ADHESIVE ONTO THE MASONRY WALL AND IMBEDDED WITHIN SAID FINISHING LAYER; SAID CHANNEL HAVING A FLOOR WALL, TWO NUTS FIXED TO SAID TEMPLATE MEMBER IN PREDETERMINED SPACED RELATION; EACH OF SAID NUTS BEING A T-NUT COMPRISING A HEADED INTERIORLY THREADED SHANK; THE HEADS OF SAID NUTS BEING WITHIN THE CHANNEL AND THEIR SHANKS EXTENDING RESPECTIVELY THROUGH HOLES IN SAID FLOOR WALL; SAID NUTS EXTENDING FROM SAID TEMPLATE MEMBER, TO AND FLUSH WITH THE SURFACE OF THE WALL STRUCTURE, A TENON PLATE POSITIONED ON THE SURFACE OF SAID WALL STRUCTURE, HAVING A FORWARDLY EXTENDING POST INTERMEDIATE TWO HOLES IN SAID PLATE; SAID HOLES BEING IN SAID SPACE RELATION, SCREWS PASSED THROUGH SAID HOLES AND THREADEDLY ENGAGING SAID NUTS WHEREBY SAID TENON PLATE IS SECURELY HELD AGAINST THE SURFACE OF THE WALL STRUCTURE; THE BASE OF SAID ITEM HAVING A CAVITY OPENING AT THE WALL STRUCTURE; THE TENON PLATE BEING WITHIN SAID CAVITY, A BRACKET EXTENDING FROM SAID BASE OF SAID ITEM, FORWARDLY OF THE WALL STRUCTURE; SAID BRACKET HAVING A SOCKET COMMUNICATIVE WITH SAID CAVITY; SAID POST BEING WITHIN SAID SOCKET, AND MEANS ON THE BRACKET, RELEASABLY ENGAGING SAID POST. 